“Best meal of my life.”
“I bet.” She grins. “I’m learning that we must be thankful for what we have. And I see that in you. So, tell me about this buri . . . daikon.”
My mind drifts back. I’d just murdered my stepfather and attempted to return some of his stolen money to Osaka. “I traveled to Toyama, on the coast of the Sea of Japan.” As I share with Ryann the tastes, the aromas, and the sights of the city, her face melts into bliss.
“You could be my tour guide any day, Ryoichi.” Ryann smiles behind her sake. “I’ll have to put that on places to travel when I visit Japan. There’s something about you that makes . . . makes me okay with purchasing all this food—for one.” She chuckles. “I literally haven’t thought about the price of—”
“Why would you?”
“Are you saying it’s part of the price, Ryoichi? I should look at the BB Extraordinaire website again and—”
Alright, Ryoichi, make a note of this website for later. I take Ryann’s hands in mine, kissing everywhere my silk scarf had constricted and bound. My lips will, of course, follow similar paths once I’ve fully taught her the art ofkinbaku. Since I first set eyes on this woman, who’s taken a reprieve from her abuser at home, I’ve determined that I’ll need to train Ryann on how one claims his woman.
With patience. Kindness. Gentleness.
With reverence.
It still kills me to see the blemish beneath Ryann’s eye, covered in thick makeup, but I cannot just take Ryann. Not out in the open like this.
I’ll take her to her room first and explain myself. She’ll gather her things. And then she will learn that she’s mine. A smile sharper than the edge of a katana forms over my face. “Once I close out our ticket, let’s reconvene in your room, Ryann.”
* * *
Ryann isdeathly quiet as we ride the elevator to her suite. But the moment she closes the door to a stark white room with touches of blue, she saunters over to me, chewing her lip pensively.
“Listen, Ryoichi, tell me this is more than a physical connection.” Ryann’s fingers glide through mine, and she rounds onto her toes to bring her lips a fraction away. “That I’m different from all the other women. My heart’s beating damn near out of my chest. I’ve never done this before. So, just say that I can have you for one ni—”
“You’re different from any other woman I’ve encountered in my life.” That must be the victim in Ryann, not comprehending how one night won’t suffice. I drop my palms onto the expensive, textured wallpaper, boxing Ryann in.
“I’ve always believed you must be willing to leave the life you’ve selected, shed the perfectly laid plans, all the order, to find the person waiting for you.”
In a tone restricted by yearning and hesitation, Ryann says, “You say a lot of pretty words, Ryoichi.”
Anticipation ribbons from her lips in a tiny moan as I pull the white silk trim from the sheer curtains next to her. I trap her wrists in my hands. With brute force, I bring her breasts slamming against the rigidity of my chest and make quick work of binding her wrists behind her back.
“Alright, you think I’m putting on airs?” My light, airy laughter tickles across her lips as I growl, “I’ve waited so very long to tie you up, Ryann.” Days upon days.
“Oh, have you?” That innocent voice runs like silk over my manhood.
“If I got a little darker, saying that you belong tied up, on your knees, and at my mercy, how would you respond,bijin?”
Ryann stops admiring me to gulp. “I’d. . . I’d like that.”
Not yet,bijin,but you will.
I’ve unwrapped Ryann in no time, leaving her breasts restrained in black silk when I’d much instead observe them under the control of more roping.
My eyes focus on her silk bra. Simple. Sophisticated. Not overwhelmed by padding. I’ve walked away from women in the past because of their lingerie. I step forward, and Ryann softly wrestles with the knot at her wrists behind her back. The gravity of my gaze stills her.
“Good, you’re a quick learner.”
She snorts.
I kiss my way over the slopes of Ryann’s breasts, goosebumps growing everywhere my mouth relishes. Ryann takes solace against the wall, leaning back, eyes closed.
“Where should my lips go next, Ry?” I tease, nipping the pebbles through the thin fabric of her bra.
Voice heavy, she mews, “Anywhere, Ryoichi. Anywhere, please.”